The Life and Letters
of Dr Samuel HahnemannBy Thomas Lindsley Bradford,
M.D.Presented by Dr Robert Séror

Chapter 45.

Cure of Dr.

Aegidi

It was during the year 1830 that

Hahnemann
made a wonderful cure, which conclusively proved that his new doctrine
regarding the cause and cure of chronic diseases was correct.

His distinguished patient was one

Dr.
Julius Aegidi, a
prominent Allopathic physician and army surgeon. As a result he became a
believer in Homoeopathy, which method he practised until his death. (Dr.
Aegidi died at Freienwalde, Germany, on May 11, 1874, in his 79th year.)

" In the autumn of 1830 I was thrown from a vehicle, severely
injured my shoulder and also took a violent cold. By local bloodletting
and the usual antiphlogistic treatment the most distressing of my symptoms
were removed in the course of a few days ; still a paralytic heaviness of
the arm remained, and in the course of a few weeks very severe periodical
pains set in, which shot from the shoulder to the elbow ; and gradually I
lost the use of the arm more and more, while the sensation of palsy and
heaviness increased daily ; every, even the slightest, pressure upon the
diseased part, caused the most insupportable pains ; the suffering limb
commenced to waste away, while the shoulder and elbow joints began to
swell.

" After exhausting my own medical knowledge, I placed myself under
the care of several of my most worthy colleagues ; but after the lapse of
a year the above mentioned symptoms still continued, with even more than
their former severity ; all motion of the arm was suspended ; the shoulder
hung one inch and a half lower than the sound one ; the anterior surface
of the shoulder joint and the articular surfaces of the elbow joint were
much enlarged ; the elbow stood about four inches off from the body, and
every attempt to approximate it to the side occasioned the most intense
pains ; the left shoulder blade was drawn strongly outwards and to one
side ; the coracoid process was situated about half an inch below the
collar bone ; the supraspinatus muscle had diminished perceptibly in size.

" The pains, which were increased to an insupportable degree by
the slightest external pressure, were always very intensely aggravated at
night, so that any rest and sleep was out of the question. My whole body,
but the affected side in particular, became much emaciated ; the
emaciation even extended to the left half of the face.

My pulse was slow ; skin pale ; I suffered much from coldness of the
whole body, and my digestion was much impaired. On account of an
hereditary predisposition to gout, anti-arthritic treatment was now
instituted by my medical advisers, and two large issues were opened, one
upon the arm, the other upon the shoulder blade.

"After
the continued use of these means for about four months, without any
improvement, the issues were allowed to dry up, and two setons were
inserted in their places. As no essential improvement took place in the
course of several months, the actual cautery was applied to the shoulder
joint ; and in consequence I enjoyed comparative freedom from pain for
about one month, during which period of time I also recovered the use of
my arm in some measure, and even began to flatter myself with the hope of
a perfect restoration.

"But my joy did not last long ; for when the burnt places began to
heal slight returns of my former pains set in and concentrated themselves
about the elbow joint, which began to swell, while the shoulder joint
diminished in size in the same ratio ; so that in the course of several
months the elbow joint had become the seat of the same disease that had
formerly affected the shoulder joint.

To complete my misery, enlargements of other bones, viz. : the
clavicles, the sacrum, etc., took place and rendered every position that I
assumed in bed extremely painful. In utter despair of any relief from the
use of Allopathic remedies I desisted entirely from all medical treatment,
and my condition grew worse from day to day.

"At length I concluded to consult

Hahnemann.
I wrote him a statement of my case, and begged for advice and assistance.
He answered me, among other remarks :

'Your disease is of far older date than you have any idea of. You must
have had the itch at some time, or some other eruptive disease which was
improperly cured. Your disease is constitutional, and however
scientifically the issues, setons, and the hot irons may have been
applied, their action, of course, could only be local.

You thought if free suppuration could be brought about, your shoulder
would be cured and your whole body would remain fresh and sound. But how
miserably were all your hopes disappointed, how rapidly did your disease
extend itself.

How foolish are such gross ideas of disease, and what cruelty attends
their application in the attempt to cure disease. But a ray of truth must
soon penetrate into this

Egyptian
darkness ; the dawn of better things approaches.'

" No words can express my astonishment at the positiveness with
which

Hahnemann
asserted that I must have been afflicted with some eruptive disease which
had been suppressed, but not cured. Five years before, while I was
officiating as assistant surgeon in the BerlinHospital,
I had pricked my finger with a lancet with which I had just opened an
abscess in the person of a patient who was at the time affected with the
itch. I thought nothing about it at the time, but on the following day a
small pustule formed on the finger and occasioned an intense itching and
burning. I applied caustic to it, and a small sore remained for several
days, to which I applied an ointment.

"About this time I received an appointment as an army surgeon and
travelled by mail to join my division ; but on the second day of my
journey the wound in my finger became inflamed, and not only my hand, but
the whole arm, as far as the shoulder joint, became so swollen and painful
that I was obliged to discontinue my journey.

Rest and warm fomentations soon relived me, but several months elapsed
before I succeeded in healing the wound on my finger. Soon after it had
entirely healed, I was attacked with acute rheumatism on my left shoulder,
that lasted for several weeks, but I did not dream that there was any
connection between it and my former affection of the hand. With the
exception of transient twinges and darts of pain about the shoulder joint,
I had considered myself perfectly well up to the time that I was thrown
from my vehicle.

"Convinced that

Hahnemann
had formed a correct opinion of my case, I commenced taking the powders he
had sent me, and indulged in the highest hopes of a speedy recovery. But
my patience was destined to be sorely tried ; I had received nine powders,
of which one was to be taken every fifth day.

During the course of the first week several new symptoms arose, but no
amelioration of my suffering took place. Soon after, however, a slight
improvement commenced and gradually-progressed until towards the end of
the fifth week, when I could lift my arm with comparative ease, and could
bend and extend my elbow ; the swelling of the joint had disappeared
entirely and all pain had left me ; and from that time to the present
(eight years) I have never had the slightest return of my former
complaint.

"After so brilliant a confirmation in my own person of the value
of Homoeopathy, I applied myself with zeal to the study and practice of
it, and have been abundantly rewarded in frequently witnessing the most
rapid and permanent cures of the most dangerous and deep-rooted
diseases."

Aegidi,
of Freienwalde
on the Oder,
though an ardent disciple of Hahnemann,
went very near to ruin the system. He began to make experiments along with
Boenninghausen,
of Munster,
in 1832, with respect to the administration of mixtures of Homoeopathic
medicines, and Hahnemann
was so taken with the idea that he proposed inserting a paragraph in the
fifth edition of the 'Organon'
(1833), recommending such mixtures.

He was, however, induced not to do this by the protests of the

Central
Society of Homoeopathic Physicians,
and Aegidi,
himself becoming convinced of the dangers of such a practice, joined in
persuading Hahnemann to abandon his project.

Lutze

, of Coethen,
as is well known, published an edition of the Organon
in 1865, with the
suppressed paragraph recommending medicinal mixtures."

Aegidi's
letter. I felt it incumbent on me to communicate it to the Princess, and I
did well, for the Prince has already found a vacant post of regimental
surgeon in a hussar regiment, and has begged the General Staff-Surgeon von
Wiebel
to appoint Dr. Aegidi
to the post.

This I have already announced to Dr.

Aegidi.
I am happy to have been able to procure this good fortune for the
excellent Aegidi,
and in addition to the pay attached to the post, he can freely and frankly
practice Homoeopathy in a populous town under the protection of the ruler
of the land, and may even prepare his own medicines and dispense them
unhindered to all his patients.

If this is not a real piece of Homoeopathic good luck, then I don’t
know what is. I have also received for him the patronage of the Princess,
which he will retain, though at the same time I remain her chief
physician." (Dated February 3, 1831.)

In a letter dated May 12, 1831, he continues :

(Hom
World, Vol. XXV, p. 258.)

"
If you mention in the

Archiv
the good fortune that has befallen Cammerer,
do not forget to set forth, as a pendant to this, that Dr. Aegidi
has been summoned from Tilsit
to assume the post of Homoeopathic physician-in-ordinary to the Princess Frederika
of Prussia
in Dusseldorf,
with a salary of six hundred thalers per annum, travelling expenses, free
post, and a written permission from the authorities to enable him to
prepare and dispense his Homoeopathic medicines, and that he has already
entered upon his duties. Aegidi
has now gone to fetch his family.

"He writes me word on his way thither from

Berlin
that Boenninghausen,
during his absence, will attend to the Princess health, and that he has
converted to Homoeopathy an eminent Allopathic physician in Alberfeld,
Dr. Regensteacher
- a very remarkable story. He winds up with this true remark :

'The greatest Allopathic thinkers, if they only possess hearts and
heads, will by and by become the most zealous adherents to the truth,